Coffee mill



SQPL 3. 1940( D. A. MEEKR 2,213,606

CFFEE MILL original Filed Aug. 26,. i956 zl sheets-sneer 1 @SEQT 'ITORNEYS f @WML Sept# 3. 1940- D. A. rvu-:EKR' l 2,213,603

CFFEE MILL original Filed Aug; 2e, 193e 2 shears-sheet 2 @mii-@QT INVENTOR B WM M 7g@ ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. s,

UNITED sTATEs 2,213,606, COFFEE ima.

vDavidli. Hecker, Troy, -Ohio, asaignor to The f Hobart Manufacturing Company, Troy, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio original application Anm zo,r 19.36, serial No. 97,972. Divided and this application Septembei-1,1939, sei-1am. 293,858-

. This invention relates to food handling apparatus and more particularly to coilee mills.

Itis a principal object o1' the invention to provide a coilee mill `adjustable to a plurality of 5 grades of iineness of grind and which aiiords direct visual indication to the customer oi 'the setting oi' the mill.

It is a further object to provide in a mill of this character anindicating device which is slmple and emcie'nt in construction and which proicrixiles a prominent visual indication to the cuser. It is also an object to provide in such a coffee mill as indicator having markings therein corre- I spending to the several grades oi iineness, the

markings being selectively illuminated to provide the desired visual indication to the customer inaccordance with the setting of the mill.

Other objects .and advantages will be appare@ ent from the description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- `lilg. 1 is a view in side elevation of a coiiee mill constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mill with the upper portions of the casing removed to show the construction of the mill;

Fig. 3 is a broken side elevational view partially in sectionl on an enlarged scale'of the grade selector and indicator mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view partially schematic and partially in side elevation' showing the construction of the indicating means; Fig. 5 is a. fragmentary vertical sectional view showing -a detail of the construction of Fig. 3;

and

Fig. 6 is a partial schematic diagram showing a modiiied circuit control arrangement.

40 This application is a division of copending application Serial No. 97,972 tiled August 26, 1936,

and assigned to the same assignee as this application.

Referring to the drawingswhich disclose a 5, preferred embodiment o f the invention, the \cof fee mill comprisesa main housing iii comprising enclosing wall portions mounted upon a base structure Il; -The mill is provided withmotive power means i2 such as an electric driving mo- 5'0 tor, and grinding burrs I3 operatively driven.

At the top of the mill is a hopper M for receiving the coiieeto be ground, which may be closed by a pivoted cover I5. A gate member I6 at the lower end of the hopper controls the supply ot collec from the hopper into the grinding comme (oise-1s) burrs, and the motor switch i1 controls the operation of the motor.

' Positioned at one end of the mill is the grade i selector means 20. This preferably comprises a ring shaped portion adapted to be rotatably 5 operated by the clerk or use r of the mill, to provide for adjusting and predetermining -the grade of iineness of grind. The grade selector member is mounted on- 'a threaded part of themill and in response to rotation; the grade selector member l0 moves inwardly or outwardly, causing the shaft 2l 'to move axially,to thereby effect control of the -spacing of burrs I3. Preferably the grade sel lector means compr ses a structure such as shown in applicant's copending application, now Patent l5 No; 2,090,634 issued/ August 24, 1937. As shown in said patent and in Fig. 3 herein, the grade se lector means 20 is provided with a guide member which receives the rotatable and axially adjustable burr lila, the iixed nonrotating burr i311 20 being located in fixed position within the burr chamber 9i.. The guide member is also provided with an external spiral thread 92 adapted to t within a cooperating spiral groove formed in ring 33 flxe'd to the-burr casing by means of screwsii. 25

.The grade selector and the guide member also carry an adjusting arm 95 provided with an end grind. Member 95 is threaded into grade selector 2 0to provide for zero adjustment thereof, and a locking means comprising a. bar 91 threaded upon member 95 and adapted to he placed under tension by means of a pair of screws 98. 35 serves to maintain the member 95 in any predetermined adjusted position. y

As will be evident upon rotation of the grade selector -member, the guide member 90`and adjusting arm 95 will be caused to move axially 40 to vary the spacing of burrs I3a, lab, and thereby vtol adjustk to vary the grade selected. A latch mechanism -is also preferably provided to retain the grade selector means in any predetermined adjusted position, this means comprising a 45 spring pressed plunger |00 carried in the grade selector 20, and adapted to seat in any one of a plurality of depressions I0! is :formed in `ring 93.i An operating knob |02 extends rto the outer The construction is 5o.

face of thegrade selector. A preferablysuch that the grade selector may be moved tov any predetermined grade position by means of thegrade selector handle, the plunger snapping into the several depressions to hold the Selector 1n any desiredposition. 55

In accordance with the present invention the grade selector is so constructed that it can be completely removed from the burr casing as a unit in a very simple manner. Stop means (not shown) are preferably provided to limit the normal `movement of the grade selector handle to the off position, but are so arranged that the knob |02 may be manually withdrawn to clear the stop member and to permit unscrewing of the grade selector means forcomplete 'removalf thereof from the mill.

If desired an interlock mechanism may be pro- I gagement therebetween. The shaft may bepmvided with interlock fingers 28 adapted to cooperate with links 29 connected to the motor switch operating member 30 and to .the shaft 3| of the pivoted gate I6 to provide forinterlocking action thereof. This shaft preferably extends to the exterior of the mill casing where an operating handle (not shown) is provided in convenient position for the clerk or operator. Operation of such handle to one position effects opening of the 'gate from the hopper to supply the material to and the closing of the motor switch; the reverse takes place upon opposite movement thereof. The purpose of interlock mechanism of this character is to assure that the clerk, at each operation of the mill, will be required to adjust the grade selector to a predetermined setting; the interlock structure prevents the turning` on of the motor switch, or the opening of the gate to feed both, unless the grade selector has been turned or the grinding burrs,

adjusted from lts neutral or off position to one of its several grinding positions. The clerk being thus required to effect adjustment of the grade selector at each operation of the mill is more likely to ascertain the wishes of theindividual customer, and toV adjust the grade selector accordingly. A suitable mechanism for this purpose is that shown in said Patent No. 2,090,634, the details thereof not being shown in this application.

In accordance with theA present invention novel and highly effective means are provided for affording visual indication to the customer of the setting of the mill. Thus where an interlock mechanism such as above described is employed, the clerk is required to effect the setting of the mill to one'of its several grinding positions.' And means are provided which are operated in accordance with the setting of the grinding means for affording direct and easily visible indication to the customer, so that he will know the setting of the mill and whether it is set to produce ground coffee of the character desired.

In accordance with this construction means are provided for selectively illuminating a predetermined legend marking means.- Thus the face of the mill 10 is provided with a series of translucent plates-1l bearing markings or legends thereon showing the iineness of grind and of different light 'responsive properties than the plates. As shown, the markings may comprise coffee from the hopper, or I 4ings remain `the words Drip pot, Percolator", and Open pot corresponding to the several grades of fine-i ness of grind as required in properly makin coffee by the several methods. The plates are located in predetermined arrangement, each being provided with a light source'12 in light transmitting relation thereto. Each legend 'is enclosed with its own light source and is pro.- tected against illumination from any light source except the one directly associated therewith, so that upon energizing any of the light sources 12 only that legend directly associated therewith will be caused to be illuminated.

Means are provided for causing selective illumination of the appropriate marking in accordance with' the setting of the grade selector means. This comprises switch means 15 which is arranged to be operated in accordance with the position of the grade selector member 20 by suitable switch control means carried by the member 20 and located outwardly from the axis thereof. For this purpose an insulating ring 1B, which may be an integral part of the mill casing, carries an inner continuous contact 11, and an outer series of contacts 18, insulated from each other, and separately connected each to one terminal of the several light sources 12. The two Vsets of contacts 11 and 18 are located'in corresponding positions adjacent each other, and

-bly 15 provides for establishing contact from the ring 11 to that one of contacts 18 corresponding to the setting of the mill. Suitable connections from a power source 83, as shown in Fig. 4, provide for the corresponding illumination of the associated light source 12 which effects the illumination of the proper sign to indicate clearly to the customer the setting of the mill. When the grade selector is turned to the neutral or non-grind position the contact pins 19, move Vbeyond the range of the fixed contacts, into a position such as that illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. In such position of adjustment none of the light sources is energized and all the markunilluminated. The construction is thus such that the switch control means carried by the removable grade selector member is entirely self-contained therewith making it possible to remove the grade selectorv assembly to provide access to the burr chamber and the burrs with` out disturbing the operative setting or adjustment of the parts, thereplacement of the grade selector assembly immediately placing the mill in properly adjusted operative condition, and providing for establishing the proper selective illuminating circuits without necessity for any additional connection or disconnection of parts or wiring. The entire circuit may further be controlled in accordance with the motor switch as shown in Fig. 4, being energized only when the circuit to the motor Ais closed and the motor running. Alternatively the illuminating means may be operated independently of the motor switch, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the settings of the mill may be illuminated and indicated prior to the actual grinding operation.

In operation, in a device of this character the coifee to be ground is rst placed within the hopper Il, and the' lid I5 thereafter closed. The

clerk having ascertained the customers wishes in accordance with the method of making coiee V.utilized by such customer, eiects adjustment of the grade selector to the desired positioning to give the necessary neness of grind. Preferably the bevelled face of the. grade selector.

is provided with indications, cooperating with a iixed index point, readable from the rear for clerks side of the mill so that his reading and adjustment will correspond with that indicated upon the customers side. Having adjusted the mill to the desired setting, the corresponding marking 'liv is illuminated and the ,operation of the mill may bestarted by turning on the motor and opening the control` gate, the coee being ground to the indicated grade of fineness. 4Simultaneously with the energizing of the mill,

20 Vthe marking is uclearly illuminated so that theA customer is advised of the setting of the mill and if the clerk has failed to properly adjust the mill can promptly call attention to the fact. At the en d oi the `grinding operation, the inter\ lock action, where desired, again becomes effective to prevent subsequent operation of the millv until the grade selector has been returned toits off position, and again set to a predetermined grade of grind. It will be understood that the indicating device may be used with or without the interlock features as described. While the forms' of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments vof the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is 85 not limited to these precise forms of apparatus,

and that changes may be made therein withoutl departing from the scope of the invention whic is dened in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A coiee mill of the character described which comprises an enclosing casing, a burr chamber in said- "casing, grinding means in said burr chamber,VV manually operable grade selector means removably supported f from said casing and adjustable thereon over a series of operative positions of varying grades of neness, said' grade Also selector means being removable from said casing to provide access to said burr chamber, means for effecting adjustment of said grinding means upon. adjustment of said ygrade selector means, indicator means for indicating to the customer the setting of saidfgrade selector means including a plurality of legends representative of the flneness of grind, a light source associated with each said legend, switch control means carried onv said grade selector member and removable and rotatable therewith, and cooperating switch means on said casing in position to be operated selectively by said switch control means in each. of the grinding positions of said'grade selector means to cause illumination of the light source associated with the legend corresponding to the settingofv the grade selector means, said switch control' means beingfreely removable and re- -placeable in operative position with said grade selector means.

2. A coiee mill of the. character described which comprises an Aenclosing casing, grinding meansin said casing, manually operable'grade selector means rotatably supported Ifrom said casing and adjustable over a series of operative positions of varying grades of flneness, means operable upon rotary adjustment of said grade selector means for eifecting adjustment of said grinding means togrixrd to varying -grades of customerthe setting of said grade selector means including a plurality of legends representative of the. flneness of grind, a light source associated with each said legend, switch control means carried on said grade selector member at a prede termined radial distance from the axis thereof and rotatable therewith, andl cooperating` switch means supported from said casing in position to be operated selectively by said switch control means in each of the grinding positions of said grade` selector'means to cause illumination of the light source associated with the legend corresponding to the setting of the grade selector means. j

3. A coffee mill of the character described which comprises an enclosing casing, grinding means in said casing including an axially adjustable grinding burr, manually operable grade selector meansremovably supported from said casing and adjustable over a series of operative positions of .varying grades of iineness, said grade selector means beingremovable from said casing to provide access to said grinding burrs, means for eifecting adjustment ofsaid axially movable burr upon adjustment of said grade selector means, indicator means for indicating to the customer the setting of said grade selector means including a plurality of legends representative of the lnenes's of grind, a light source associated with each said legend, switch control means car- Y, ried by said grade s elector member and removable r and rotatable therewith, and cooperating switch means supported from said casing in position to be operated'selectively by said switch control vmeans in each of the grinding positions of said grade selector means to cause illumination of the light source associated with the legend corresponding to the setting of the grade selector means, said switch control means being freely Iremovable and replaceable in operative position with said grade selector means.

4. A coffee mill of the character described which comprises an enclosing casing, a burr chamber within said casing, grinding means in said burr'chamber, manually operable `grade selector means removably supported in position. at the end of said burr chamber and adjustable over a seriesfof operative positions of varying grades of fineness, means for effecting adjustment of said grinding burrs upon adjustment of said grade selector means, indicator meansfor indicating to the customer the setting of said l grade selector means including a plurality of legends representative ofthe iineness ofgrind, a light /source associated with each said legend, switch control means carried' by saidgrade selector member'andremovable therewith, and coop' erating switch means on-said casing in position to be operated selectively by said control means in each of the grinding positions ofsaid grade selector means to cause illumination of the light i source associated with the legend corresponding to the grade selector means, said switch control means being freely removable and replaceable in operative position with sav-id grade selector means.

5. A coffee mill of the character described which comprises an enclosingrasing, grinding means in said casing, manuallyA operable grade selector means rotatablysupported from said casing and adjustable over a series of operative positions of varying grades of flneness', means forA eifectingjadjustment of said grinding means upon the setting of said grade selector means includ#- ing a. plurality of legends representative of the vtineness of grind, a light source associated with each said legend, a series of switch means supported. on saidy casing in an arcuate manner about the axis of said grade `selector member, and switch control means carried on said grade selector member and located outwardly from the axis thereof a predetermined distance to cause selective operation of the several switch means to thereby control the illumination of the light source associated withthe legend corresponding to the setting of the grade selector means.

6. A coffee mill of the character described which comprises an' enclosing casing, a burr chamber within said casing, grinding means in said burr chamber, manually operable grade selector means removably and rotatably supported from said casing adjacent the end of said burr chamber and adjustable over a series of operative positions of varying grades of neness, said 'grade selector means being removable from said burr chamber as a unit to provide access thereto, means for effecting adjustment of said grinding means upon rotary movement of said grade Selector means, indicator Vmeans for indicating to the customer the setting of said grade selector means including a plurality of legends representameans to thereby control the illumination of the light source associated with the legend corresponding to the setting of the grade selector means, said switch control means being freely removable with said grade selecLor meansV and replaceable in operative position with respect to said switch means.

DAVID A. MEEER. 

